County faces $19.4 million deficit in 2017 budget

RBC | “There’s no way to sugarcoat this budget. It’s kind of ugly.” That’s how county finance and budget department director Chris Singleton introduced the 2017 county budget Monday at the Fairfield Center. The budget shows a deficit of $19.4 million.
Multiple factors are to blame, Singleton explained.
First, revenue is down. Property tax revenue is expected to drop by 29 percent because of reduced valuations. Specific ownership tax (paid on motor vehicle registrations) is…